Note: This story was originally published in 2017 and has been updated with the most recent information.
Despite being the first World Heritage City in the United States, as well as a National Treasure, only 2 percent of Philly's building stock is on the local historic register. Amid the current wave of new development, many potentially historic properties are disappearing.
Even organizations like the Preservation Alliance of Greater Philadelphia only have the resources to nominate between five to 10 buildings a year. According to Paul Steinke, executive director of the Preservation Alliance, “There’s a lot of work to do to get the city’s historic inventory up to where it should be. That’s the challenge.”
Concerned? You can help—even if you can’t tell Art Deco from Beaux Arts. Anyone can nominate a property to the Philadelphia Register of Historic Places. You don't have to be the property's owner, or even a Pennsylvania state resident.
“We need more people in the preservation world who are not in the field,” says Oscar Beisert, a grassroots preservationist who has successfully filed dozens of nominations.
Consider this your guide to historic preservation 101 in Philadelphia. It’s filled with helpful pointers from experts who have been around the (historic) block a few times.
1. Look up, then pick a place (or thing)
According to the City of Philadelphia’s historic preservation ordinance, buildings, structures, sites, objects, streets, and districts can all be designated historic. But where to begin? The Historical Commission recommends picking your passion project (a.k.a. nomination) like so:
Take a walk around your neighborhood and see if there are examples of outstanding architecture, such as libraries, churches, or houses. Look for interesting structures such as bridges or remarkable historic objects. Talk to your neighbors and community leaders about the history of the neighborhood and important events that have taken place there in the past.
But make a good choice. Once a building is successfully designated on the Philadelphia Register of Historic Places, it is likely to be around for a while. Make sure that it warrants the protection.
Bear in mind that the nomination does not need to be for a historic jewel box, or for a place that a Betsy Ross or a Benjamin Franklin would have frequented. Modernist buildings (50 years or older) are increasingly added to the register, such as the John Coltrane House in West Philly and the gym where heavyweight world champion Joe Frazier trained to fight Muhammad Ali.
2. Reach out to the Historical Commission
That’s what they’re there for. The Historical Commission staff can offer advice regarding a particular nomination. They will even check if there’s information about the property in their files to help with your research.
Patrick Grossi, advocacy director for the Preservation Alliance, also recommends that all nominators, but especially novices, take this step, to assess the Historical Commission’s level of interest regarding your proposed nomination. Even if they are not excited about it, don’t let that deter you. “If it is a building they’re not terribly enthusiastic about,” Grossi says, “then that just tells you that you need to make that much stronger of an argument.”
3. Pick a nomination criterion or two (or more)
Not all buildings with historic patina have historic value. And conversely, when a structure clearly does have historic merit, it is sometimes easy to get lost in a rabbit hole of fascinating anecdotes. Don’t lose site of the fact that an iron-clad argument needs to be made that the structure meets one or more of the 10 criteria for designation (listed in section 14-2007 (5) of the Philadelphia Code).
4. Write the nomination form
Expect to provide physical and historical details about the property, as well as a comprehensive bibliography and photographs (including historic images, if available). Past nomination forms are published online. The completed form is usually somewhere between 20 and 40 pages.
Helpful advice for filling out the form can be found in the Preservation Alliance’s website. You can also team up with others, such as Beisert, who has been known to file a nomination form in as little as four days.
5. Submit the nomination and wait—patiently
Once a nomination is submitted, the Historical Commission is not required to act on it within a set period of time. (Demolition permit applications, on the other hand, are required to be reviewed within 20 business days of processing.) That said, Grossi at the Preservation Alliance says that the Historical Commission has moved nominations along faster in recent years (and may get two additional staffers soon, which will aid processing speeds).
6. Historical Commission staff review
First, the staff must review the nomination form to verify that it is complete and correct. This step alone could take between one week to several months—on average, it currently takes between four to six weeks. Once the form is deemed complete, the structure receives temporary designation and cannot be demolished until a final decision is made.
7. Attend the public meeting of the Committee on Historical Designation
A public meeting to review your nomination will be scheduled, and the property owner will be notified at least 30 days in advance. As the nominator, you nor the owner are not required to attend. But you should plan on being there, in case the Historical Commission has any further questions or the owner objects to having the property designated. After the public review, this subcommittee makes its recommendation to the full Historical Commission, whether or not to add it to the local register.
8. Wait some more, or not
If the subcommittee recommends historic designation to the Historical Commission, the commission will then contact the nominator (i.e. you) about the next steps. This includes when the nomination will be voted on by the commission.
In all, the full process from submission of the nomination materials to permanent historic designation can take a year. But don’t let the average timeframe dissuade you, though, if a building is in immediate risk (such as being listed for sale). There are success stories in which designations came through quickly, such as with First African Baptist Church at 1600 Christian Street.
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